the dancer and the museum. stomach that is it for ♪ tonight, stolen plane. a suspect is in custody after police in tupelo, mississippi, say he took to the sky, threatening to crash into a walmart. >> i'm elise preston in tupelo, mississippi, where authorities are calling it a potential crime of opportunity. also, tonight heat and fire scorch the west. thousands evacuated in northern california as flames torched homes and cars. this as blistering heat sets records across the west. >> how hot can it get in here? is very hot. as you can feel it, this is a good 20 degrees up, then it is outside. >> the danger ahead this holiday weekend. in florida today, nasa's new moon rocket grounded again.

>> a recommendation of no-go for launch. plus, former president trump returns to the stump for the first time since the fbi's mar-a-lago search. later, uvalde strong. still grieving after the school massacre, the high school football team gives the community reason to cheer. ♪ in is the "cbs weekend news." good evening. adriana diaz is off. we begin with danger above, a stolen plane ominously circling the skies above northeast mississippi for hours. at the controls, a man police say threatened to crash into a walmart. the twin engine aircraft lifted up from a regional airport in tupelo where elise preston is covering tonight. elise. >> reporter: lilia, that suspect could face making terroristic threats and grand larceny charges after police say he stole a plane from the regional airport. authorities believe he had some

flight instruction but not enough experience to land a plane. >> he right on top of our house. >> reporter: today terror in tupelo, mississippi. a plane police say was stolen circled over homes and businesses in the small city. authorities say the man at the controls, cory patterson, said he intended to crash into a walmart. that forced an evacuation in the area. shamaria robinson got a panicked call from her mother who lives minutes away from the targeted shopping center. >> just so close to her home. >> yeah, so close to her home. it was crazy. >> reporter: investigators say patterson was employed by an aircraft maintenance company at tupelo's regional airport and took off in the twin engine aircraft when air traffic controllers were not on duty. >> the pilot posted on facebook a message and in essence it said goodbye. >> reporter: after about five hours in the air, patterson land it in a field roughly 40 miles north of tupelo, uninjured. >> the suspect is now in

custody. he will get the help he needs as far as whatever he's dealing with. >> now, the faa says it will investigate this incident. meanwhile, local police say patterson could face federal charges. lilia. >> remarkable that he landed it, but also terrifying. elise preston, thank you. tonight nearly 50 million americans are under alert because of blistering heatwaves that are breaking reports across the west. it is also fuelling wildfires including these flames that caused injuries and prompted evacuations in northern california. cbs's jeff nunan in los angeles is tracking it all. jeff. >> reporter: lilia, triple digit temperatures across the west are expected to spike this weekend, especially in california where there's an increased risk of blackouts and wildfires. fuelled by 35-mile-per-hour winds and scorching temperatures, a wildfire newer

the border of california and oregon burns out of control, forcing more than 7,000 people to evacuate and prompting california's governor to declare a state of emergency. so far the mill fire torched more than 4,000 acres, injured multiple people and destroyed at least 50 structures. >> they would just be crying because their houses were burning down. >> reporter: the intense heatwave is gripping the west, even stretching into canada with arizona and california under an excessive heat warning. triple digit temperatures stressing more than the power grid. how hot can it get in here? >> very hot. as you can feel it, this is like a good 20 degrees up than it is outside. >> reporter: the relentless heat knocked out his business for hours. what's the story behind this? >> so i had to get a brand-new generator because this one got broken yesterday because of the tremendous heat. >> reporter: in arizona, scattered power outages friday

after a 6,000 foot dust storm with 65-mile-per-hour winds swept through several neighborhoods. california is in its fourth day of a flex alert, which is a call for everyone to conserve electricity, to lessen the load on the power grid. lilia. >> that's right, jeff. and water. thank you so much. for more on the weather this labor day weekend let's check in with our partners at the weather channel and meteorologist molly mccullough. >> good evening, lilia. we're looking at dangerous heat building into the west. we are talking about excessive heat warning and heat advisories from california all the way up into montana. las vegas could see some of the hottest temperatures on monday for the labor day holiday, topping out 110. while we are battling the heat in the west, we will see showers and thunderstorms from houston, atlanta, washington, d.c., all the way up into boston for the labor day holiday. maybe potentially raining out some of your pool parties and your cookouts, with a cold front

combining with deep tropical moisture leading to intense downpours and flash flooding. a check on the tropics, we have tropical storm danielle, but tropical storm earl, despite the fact it is struggling to develop, will be one to watch over the next couple of days. lilia. >> molly mccollum, thank you. for the second time this week nasa's artemis rocket did not fly. the space agency scrubbed the launch of the massive rocket after a new technical issue surfaced and attempts to fix it failed. cbs's mark strassmann is at the kennedy space center. mark, earlier this week it was an issue with the engine. what happened this time? >> reporter: lilia, a lot of frustration here. nasa just announced it looks as though they're going to have to roll the rocket back to the garage, back to the vehicle assembly building. that would delay the next launch window until later this month, more likely later next month. today's problem came up a couple of hours into loading the rocket with propel ant. it happened at the bottom of the rocket, right about here. they discovered a leak in the

liquid hydrogen fuel line. trem they tried to troubleshoot it three times without luck, and at that point it was a scrub. second time in five days nasa has been luckless on the launch pad. both times a liquid hydrogen leak was an issue. frustration comes after years of delays and billions of dollars in costover runs. lilia, this rocket still hasn't left the launch pad. >> that's right. we were waiting all day today, back and forth, a lot of communication from nasa to the public and it didn't happen. big picture here, mark, how important is it for nasa that artemis one succeed? >> reporter: it is everything. nasa has a timeline to return astronauts to the moon, but first they have to have a successful test flight around the moon and back from artemis one, a minimum of drama and right now they can't even get it off the ground. lilia. >> from the kennedy space center, mark strassmann, thank you. tonight president biden is at camp david for the labor day weekend, but former president trump is returning to the

campaign trail. these supporters are lining up in wilkes-barre, pennsylvania. now with details. >> reporter: good evening, lilia. this is trump's first rally since the fbi searched mar-a-lago and seized the government documents, many of which were marked classified. >> i can't think of a legitimate reason why they should have been -- could be taken out of the government, away from the government. >> reporter: in an interview with fox's news trump's former attorney general bill barr shot down the former president's justifications for possessing possibly classified documents at his residence. >> if, in fact, he stood over scores of boxes not knowing what was in them and said, i hereby declassify everything in here it would be an abuse. >> reporter: meanwhile on his social platform truth social, he

lashed out at the department of justice and fbi, calling them totally corrupt claiming they stole items from his home and rifled through his wife's closet. >> i don't know if it is a paperwork issue. >> reporter: the detailed list of evidence taken from trump's florida estate includes 48 folders with classified markers found empty, a revelation that especially concerns some security experts. >> the government is under an obligation to find out where are those documents, who has seen those documents, where are they now. >> reporter: now, trump's rally in pennsylvania comes, of course, on the heels of president biden's primetime speech last week, all in pennsylvania, a crucial state for both parties ahead of the midterm elections. lilia. >> eyes on the state, christina ruf evenie, thank you. today ukraine claimed its forces destroyed 25 russian tanks and more than 35 armored vehicles in a single day. but for europe's largest nuclear

power plant it is still caught in the war's crossfires. cbs's debora patta in kyiv. >> reporter: despite the presence of atomic energy investigators, there are still reports of shelling near the site with russia and ukraine accusing each other of trying to sabotage the inspection. the former head of ukraine's nuclear regulator told cbs news of the crisis at the plant, that it is still not over. >> i think that important issue for iaea is to occupy and demilitarize the station. >> reporter: that's going to be hard. >> i think, yes. >> reporter: one of the biggest concerns remains damage to power supply lines, a constant electricity supply is essential for cooling down spent nuclear fuel, explained the agency's director-general, rafael grossi. >> and if they cannot work this could lead to a major accident. the military activity and

operations are increasing in that part of the country, and this worries me a lot. >> reporter: from zaporizhzhia a fierce battle is being fought for occupied kherson. emboldened by the steady supply of western military aid, ukraine is on the offensive to take it back. russia now has to spread its forces along a front line that stretches from the south to donbas in the east and northern kharkiv. it is difficult to assess how the fight in the south is going. both sides claim early successes and ukraine believes this counteroffensive could be a turning point in the war. debora patta, cbs news, kyiv, ukraine. today a final farewell for the last leader of the soviet union. the funeral for mikhail gorbachev was held at moscow's

hall of columns. he died this week at age 91. gorbachev did not receive state honors and russian president vladimir putin did not attend saying he was working. straight ahead on the "cbs weekend news" one year after the u.s. withdrawal we speak to an afghan interpreter left behind. later, world-class goodbye. serena williams final at the u.s. open.

this week marked one year since the departure of u.s. and nato forces from afghanistan, ending two decades of war. on wednesday the taliban celebrated with a parade and a show of force. cbs's imtiaz tyab returned to see what has changed. >> reporter: the final image of the last service member leaving afghanistan's main airport, capping off the chaotic and

botched end of america's longest war. as tens of thousands of terrified afghans begged to be airlifted to safety, a suicide bomb attack by the afghan affiliate of isis killed nearly 200 including 13 u.s. service members. one year later and it is quiet here. thousands of desperate afghans came to this gate, the abbie gate in order to flee the taliban and get on one of the u.s. military aircraft out of the country, but many more were left behind. including former interpreter sayib motawaffa. we interviewed him using smartphones so as not to draw attention to his location. >> they always called me an american spy. >> reporter: why did she call you an american spy? >> because i was a translator for three years to the u.s. air forces and i was close to the air forces. >> reporter: he was based at bagram air field alongside retired master sergeant david

piscora. >> reporter: do you believe his life is in danger? >> i do. he has always been a truthful individual. i have no reason to doubt whether or not he is in danger. >> reporter: at least 74,000 afghans are currently navigating the complex process to apply for what is known as the special immigration visa. >> reporter: if you could ask president joe biden one question, what would it be? >> help the translators to get to safety. we help americans, so why he cannot help all those translators who are left behind here, in a very hard situation. >> reporter: the u.s. government has said it is trying to streamline the visa process, but for far too many afghans still living in fear of the taliban it is not happening fast enough. imtiaz tyab, cbs news, kabul, afghanistan. still ahead on the "cbs weekend news" we head to the u.s. open where tennis great serena williams exits the tournament with a good fight and the court with glory.

it is over. >> what a way to wrap it up, just historic. a stadium full of cheers for serena williams at the u.s. open. the 23-time grand slam champion was eliminated last night, but not before a nail-biting three-set battle. williams didn't leave center court without acknowledging her family and, of course, her loyal fans. >> to every single person that's ever said "go serena" in their life, i'm just so grateful because -- yeah, you got me here. >> and we will all keep saying "go serena" forever and ever. one of sport's greatest champions ever. getting people into movie theaters is harder than ever these days, but theaters are trying this weekend. today is national cinema day, an attempt to jump start lagging box office sales.

some 3,000 theaters dropped ticket prices to just $3 for any movie all day and tonight. you've still got time. next on the "cbs weekend news" california looks to agave to lift the spirits of growers plagued by drought.

♪ fuelled by climate change, california's historic drought is forcing growers to consider crops that require much less water. in tonight's "weekend journal" elizabeth cling of our sacramento station kovr shows us how agave is proving to be an alluring alternative. >> reporter: on a dry, dusty hill, nestled between rows of olives and almonds, a strange and spikie sight. craig reynolds started them as an experiment and now the secret is out. >> it is kind of almost too much to handle right now. it is -- i get phone calls every day from all over the place saying, where can i get some

agave seed lings. >>. >> reporter: agave, traditionally grown in mexico and used for making tequila is proving to be an ideal crop for california's water-strapped fields. >> we're growing agave here with one-tenth or less the water that we were using to grow olives that were previously in this field. >> reporter: once established, the plants can keep growing with almost no water at all. there's just one catch. growing agave takes some time. it will be at least six years before these new plants are ready for harvest. then it is a matter of getting to the heart of the plant, which takes a special tool called a coa and some special skills. raoul chavez learned to harvest it in mexico. >> close to the -- there you go. >> reporter: i think a lot of people see agave and they think it is the leaves that you are

after, but it is not. >> no, it is not. it is only the pina. >> reporter: the pina's weighing 100 pounds or more are collected and stolen to local distilleries, eager to get in on an emerging market. >> we call it agave spirit. like champagne, we call it sparkling wine. what you call it doesn't matter. what is in the bottle is what matters. >> reporter: what is in the bottle is pretty good? >> what is in the bottle is fantastic. >> reporter: now agrave is in several stages across the state, offering farmers weary for water a renewed spirit. elizabeth cling, cbs news, california. >> cheers to mez, california. friday night football lifts a grief-stricken town in all of our hearts.

♪

finally tonight, a texas tradition. friday night high school football returned to the town of uvalde, a community in mourning and traumatized after the shooting deaths of 19 students and twoer at robb elementary in may. janell bluta of cbs affiliate was there. >> reporter: it is friday night lights in texas. in the town of uvalde, this is much more than just a game. >> for them to be able to go and get together and not over something bad but over something good, it means the world to them. >> reporter: to help with the healing, friday's football came with a lot of love in the form of some famous players. >> we played flag football with the houston texans. >> reporter: the houston texans standing in solidarity the best way they know how, players along with coach lovie smith surprised the team at dinner thursday night. the next morning gifted them new

gear. later, they held a football clinic for 300 uvalde students coached by former players. >> they were willing to come just to help us get happy. >> reporter: the day was finished out on the field with even more support on the sidelines. and what an exciting night it was. the two teams were neck-in-neck the entire time with just 12 seconds left, uvalde scores, winning the game. now this town looks forward to another friday night where football can be their freedom. >> for at least three hours every friday night we can forget about what happened. not forget, but not dwell on it and we can go be a normal community again. >> reporter: janell bluta for cbs news, uvalde, texas. needed hope that there can be happiness and healing. that's the cbs weekend news for this saturday. i'm lilia luciano in new york. good night. ♪

>> live, from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix 5 news. > >> california's power grid pushed to the limit of the state state faces its highest power demands in years. how a heatwave is forcing everybody to to make changes at home for the next several days. > >> i am john ramis where the city is employing an unusual piece of equipment to help clean clean up some of the dead, rotting fish as a result of the toxic algae bloom. sure leader, the forgotten hero in the fightr fight for rights in the south bay and the man honoring him through art. we begin with vape erik runge facing the state

during the file for california is under a flex alert, state regulators are asking people to scale back energy use until 9:0. 9:00 tonight. another flex alert alert was issued for tomorrow, it is the fourth day in a row. max darrow has more on our stressed energy grid and how cutting back could be good for your wallet. >> reporter: as the he ramps up, up, so will the stress on the power grid. for the fourth consecutive day, californians are being asked to conserve power. a flex alert is in place until 9:00 tonight. >> reporter: the energy demand continues to escalate. >> on thursday evening, we have had the highest demand for power power we have seen since september of 2017 and those last last few days are likely to be a a dresser so for what is going to be a much more significantly stressed set of conditions here as we get into the heart of the weekend. >> reporter: flex alerts are from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m., people are urged to limit power usage during that window, like not rug not running